1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel direct-winding sample warper capable of orderly warping by which a yarn is wound directly on a circumferential surface of a warper drum.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional electronically controlled sample warpers of the described type are exemplified by Japanese Patents Nos. 1,529,104 and 1,767,706 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,662 and European Patent No. 035480). The first-named Japanese publication discloses a sample warper W as shown in FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings. The sample warper W of FIG. 13 comprises: a yarn guide 6 rotatably mounted on one side surface of a warper drum A for winding a yarn on the warper drum A;, a yarn selector 27 having a plurality of yarn selection guides (not shown) associated with the yarn guide 6 and mounted on an end of a base Y supporting the warper drum A for association with the yarn guide 6 and for moving angularly to project to an operative position when exchanging yarns and restore to a standby position when accommodating yarns; a fixed creel B for supporting a plurality of bobbins N, which are associated with the plural yarn selection guides of the yarn selector 27 and on which various kinds or a single kind of yarns 22 are to be wound, thereby confirming transferring of the yarns 22 between the yarn guide 6 and the yarn selector 27 so that the yarns are automatically changed and successively wound neatly on the warper drum A in a preset sequence.
In the sample warper W, the plural yarn selection guides of the yarn selector 27 receive the plural yarns 22, respectively, so that the individual yarns 22 of the fixed creel B can be successively wound on the warper drum W in a fully controlled manner. Reference numeral 17 designates a plurality of conveyer belts movably mounted on a circumferential surface of the warper drum A.
The second-named Japanese publication discloses another sample warper W for winding a plurality of yarns simultaneously as shown in FIG. 14. The sample warper W of FIG. 14 has a plurality of yarn guides 6a-6h (8 yarn guides are shown in FIG. 14) for winding a plurality of yarns 22, which are payed out from a rotary creel F, on the conveyer belts 17.
Each of the sample warpers W shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 has a plurality of parallel shedding means (a plurality of parallel shedding bars 18a-18g) extending longitudinally and parallel each other on the side of the warper drum A. The basic structure and operation of the sample warpers W are well known as by the above-mentioned Japanese publications, so their detailed description is omitted here.
Japanese Patent No. 2854789 discloses a sample warper capable of winding a yarn orderly in successive turns independently of a number of turns so as to make a long sample or a small lot of product, namely, flexible manufacturing. The basic structure and operation of this sample warper are described in the above-mentioned Japanese publications, so their detailed description is omitted here.
In continuous-length warping (in which an increased number of turns increases) orderly in successive turns using the above-mentioned individual conventional sample warpers, a yarn 22 is wound directly on the conveyer belts 17l as shown in FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 16 designates a drum spoke, on which a conveyer belt 17 is movably mounted. Reference character G designates guide means for winding a yarn orderly in successive turns, and reference numeral 100 designates a bracket for attaching the guide means G on a base end of the conveyer belt 17. Since the yarn 22 is tightened on the conveyer belts 17 with a considerable amount of tension as the yarn 22 wound on the conveyer belts 17 becomes longer, the conveyer belts 17 cannot move smoothly. These conventional sample warpers are therefore disadvantageous because they require a considerable amount of power so as to drive the conveyer belts to move stably.
In addition, when such sample warpers make orderly warping of a stretch yarn in successive turns, the tension on the conveyer belts 17 would be very large during orderly warping of a stretch yarn, so that the brackets 100 of the guide means G need to have enough strength to withstand such large amount of tension. Thus as the demand for flexible manufacturing is presumably on the rise in future, the above-described conventional sample warpers would be unable to warp various kinds of yarns practically.
With the foregoing problems in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel direct-winding sample warper in which a yarn is wound directly on a warper drum by a yarn winding means without using a conveyer belt so that various inconveniences due to the conventional conveyer belt can be entirely eliminated.
In order to attain the above object, according to a generic feature of the present invention, there is provided a direct-winding sample warper comprising: a warper drum; yarn winding means mounted on a circumferential surface of the warper drum so as to be rotatable circumferentially and movable longitudinally on the warper drum; a yarn selector provided in correspondence to the yarn winding means and movable in synchronism with the longitudinal movement of the yarn winding means; and a plurality of parallel shedding means extending longitudinally and parallel each other on the side of the warper drum and movable in synchronism with the longitudinal movement of the yarn winding means; wherein the yarn winding means is operable to directly wind at least one yarn, which is payed out from a creel on which bobbins are supported, around the circumferential surface of the warper drum.
Preferably, the circumferential surface of the warper drum is defined by a plurality of drum spokes, each having at its base end an outer surface on which a pillow member having a taper surface slanting down to its tip is disposed, so that winding the yarn around the circumferential surface of the warper drum starts from the pillow members on the respective bases of the drum spokes and terminates at other ends of the drum spokes remote from the pillow members.
As another preferable feature, the yarn winding means may include at least one yarn guide member attached to a drive belt or chain circumferentially rotatably mounted on the circumferential surface of the warper drum.
When a yarn is wound using one yarn guide member of the yarn winding means, the yarn winding means, the yarn selector, the orderly winding guide means and the shedding means are intermittently or continuously moved in time with progress of the warping on the basis of a warping yarn pitch R=warping width÷total number of yarns (number of yarns to be warped).
When a plurality of yarns are wound using a plurality of yarn guide members of the yarn winding means, the yarn winding means, the yarn selector, the orderly winding guide means and the shedding means are intermittently or continuously moved in time with progress of the warping on the basis of a warping yarn pitch RN=warping width÷(total number of yarns÷number of yarns to be simultaneously warped N).
As still another preferable feature, the yarn selector may transfer the yarn from the creel between the yarn selector and the yarn guide members in accordance with previously input pattern data by delivering the yarn to the yarn guide members and receiving the yarn from the yarn guide members.
The yarn winding means may be associated with the orderly winding guide means each having an orderly winding guide member, so that the yarn is successively wound neatly on the warper drum in regular order. It is preferable that the orderly winding guide member is longitudinally slidably mounted on the warper drum.
When a yarn is wound using one yarn guide member of the yarn winding means, the orderly winding guide member is moved toward the pillow member by a distance P which is at least a half of the thickness or diameter of the yarn for each revolution of the yarn guide member, and when the number of revolutions of the yarn guide member reaches a preset multi-winding value, the orderly winding guide members are rapidly moved back by a distance Q which is equal to the product of the distance P and the preset multi-winding value. Concurrently therewith, the yarn winding means, the yarn selector, the warping guide means and the shedding means are intermittently or continuously moved in time with progress of the warping on the basis of a warping yarn pitch R=warping width÷total number of yarns (number of yarns to be warped). Thus, the yarn can be wound on the warper drum with windings of yarn neatly layered one on another in regular order.
When a plurality of yarns are wound using a plurality of yarn guide members of the yarn winding means, the orderly winding guide members are moved toward the pillow members by a distance PN which is at least a half of the thickness or diameter of a bundle of the plural yarns for each revolution of the yarn guide members, and when the number of revolutions of the yarn guide members reaches a preset multi-winding value, the warping guide members are rapidly moved back by a distance QN which is equal to the product of the distance PN and the preset multi-winding value. Concurrently therewith, the yarn winding means, the yarn selector, the warping guide means and the shedding means are intermittently or continuously moved in time with progress of the warping on the basis of a warping yarn pitch RN=warping width÷(total number of yarns÷number of yarns to be simultaneously warped N). Thus, the yarns can be wound on the warper drum with windings of yarn neatly layered one on another in regular order.